A foreigner and the KKK Clash

BY JOANNE GRECO ROCHMAN | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

Contributed Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville presents ‘The Foreigner’ through March 31.Cast members perform a scene from ‘The Foreigner,’ playing at the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville through March 31. ContributedCast members perform a scene from ‘The Foreigner,’ playing at the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville through March 31. ContributedCast members perform a scene from ‘The Foreigner,’ playing at the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville through March 31. ContributedCast members perform a scene from ‘The Foreigner,’ playing at the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville through March 31. ContributedCast members perform a scene from ‘The Foreigner,’ playing at the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville through March 31. Contributed

Not all heroes wear capes. Some of the most unlikely heroes manage to save the day without ever taking flight.

Consider Charlie Baker, the protagonist in “The Foreigner,” a farce by actor/playwright Larry Shue. Charlie is a shy and boring Englishman. He’s so boring that his wife, who has had 23 lovers since marrying him, has asked his good friend Froggy LeSueur to take him to America while she recuperates in an English hospital. In a backwoods fishing lodge in Georgia, Charlie’s life takes a turn and he becomes an unlikely hero.

“The Foreigner” is currently on the boards at the Phoenix Stage Company in Oakville. The capable cast, under the direction of Donna Storms, reveals the well-developed characters in this fun-filled play.

Chuck Stango, a local actor who has captivated many an audience in his numerous performances, continues to do so as Charlie Baker.

Stango creates a sad-sack look that leaves no doubt in the audience’s collective mind that this is an awkward guy. However, knowing Stango’s penchant for hamming it up, it doesn’t take long before the actor turns the character upside down and inside out to reveal a lovable comic hero.

Charlie doesn’t want to talk to strangers, so Froggy tells the owner of the lodge that Charlie is a foreigner who speaks no English. Therefore no one should speak to him because he feels embarrassed. Because of this, the characters speak freely about their plans and plots, thinking that Charlie doesn’t understand anything they are saying. Oh, the secrets Charlie learns.

Certainly one of the most memorable performances of the evening belongs to Phoenix’s Executive Director Ed Bassett, who plays Froggy LeSueur. He’s such a natural and confident actor that he is totally believable from the moment he steps on the stage. Whether using an accent or standing off to the corner and listening to others, he is always in character and in the moment. Bassett is an actor’s actor.

Jonathan Ross is another outstanding actor who steps into the mean-spirited role of Owen Musser, a member of the KKK. Ross is so good in this role that he makes you want to hate this character.

Ryan Holub makes his Phoenix Stage Company debut with his role as Ellard Simms, but Holub is so relaxed on stage that his performance is spontaneous, uninhibited and thoroughly enjoyable.

Tori Richnavsky also delivers a thoroughly genuine performance as Catherine Simms, the wealthy fiancee to the Rev. David Marshall Lee, played by Gary L. Kline. Carol Grant, as the lodge owner, also makes her debut at the Phoenix.

Overall, this is a very good show and a highly entertaining night out. On opening night, the pace was a little slow, but will undoubtedly pick up as the show continues through its March 31 run.